Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
Popular Topics
>
Which LIST book did you just finish?
Diane wrote: "Bryan wrote: "Diane wrote: "Five books in...I assume you are enjoying it? "Well, not really. It is pleasant enough, but nothing special. I do appreciate that the series was progressive for its ti..."
Thanks for letting me know. I'm sure I'll get to it at some point, but there's no telling when.
Finished Homo Faber by Max Frisch, which was different, and thought-provoking. It's one of those books that leave me wondering, 'was this book great?' (view spoiler)
Mod
I really liked this book. Like Giovanni Drago, the main character, it draws you into the isolated fort and doesn't let you go."
I liked this a lot too. It reminded me so much of Kafka.
Mod
I read it several years ago. It's a great, thought-provoking book and it really stuck with me for a long time.
Mod
by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong
Translation by John and Alex Dent-Young
The Broken Seals: Part One of the Marshes of Mount Liang
The Tiger Killers: Part Two of the Marshes of Mount Liang
The Gathering Company: Part Three of the Marshes of Mount Liang
Iron Ox: Part Four of the Marshes of Mount Liang
The Scattered Flock: Part Five of the Marshes of Mount Liang
5 volumes, 120 chapters, and 2,228 pages!
I now have a prodigious knowledge of Chinese battle tactics and trickery. The Marshes of Mount Liang is a little like the story of Robin Hood, but vastly more complicated and with a company of outlaws numbered at 108 principal characters and many, many minor characters. It was an enjoyable read and lends itself well to slow reading (I did a chapter a day, with a few skipped days). The translation was excellent overall -- just a little discordant when Chinese peasants speak with a Cockney accent (but that doesn't happen a lot).
Mod
I really liked this book. Like Giovanni Drago, the main character, it draws you into the isolated fort and doesn't let you go."
I like..."
I agree -- and a little easier than Kafka.
Mod
I finished Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert today.
Mod
Pessoa is amazing!
The Book of Disquiet is one of the most amazing things ever written and Pessoa was a demigod.His genius was staggering.
Luís wrote: "It was, also for me, a glamourous read. I hope to read more of Pessoa and to complete all his work. That's my target for the rest of my life."That's a laudable project indeed but not all of it has even been published. They are still rummaging in that chest of his that contains still uncatalogued material. We are not even sure how much of it remains that has yet to be released.
It will probably take our lifetimes for scholars- and access to the chest is limited to a select few- even come close to presenting Pessoa's entire body of work to the world.
Luís wrote: "Yes, I agree. You're not around here very much. Is everything alright?"Mercedes wrote: "Pillsonista, you need to show up more often around here. 😉"
Yup, everything's good, guys. 👍
Family responsibilities have kept me from posting these past few weeks (but never from reading). Now that things are more calm I'll be able to post with more regularity again.
Plus, any discussion of Fernando Pessoa attracts me like a heat-seeking missile, so here I am. 😉
Nocturnalux wrote: "That's a laudable project indeed but not all of it has even been published. They are still rummaging in that chest of his that contains still uncatalogued material. We are not even sure how much of it remains that has yet to be released. It will probably take our lifetimes for scholars- and access to the chest is limited to a select few- even come close to presenting Pessoa's entire body of work to the world."
Yup. Maybe one day it will be completed, but it won't be during my lifetime. He kept no organized system whatsoever.
He often didn't date or even sign his writings, and now there's speculation that he was possibly a graphomaniac, because he wrote obsessively on literally any and every kind of paper surface he could get his hands on. They not only have to authenticate when the writing was dated, but "who" wrote it, and at last count his heteronyms/characters numbered over 75. All of it, some 25,000-30,000+ individual pages just dumped in a trunk. And to add to fun, his handwriting was close to illegible. It took them over forty years after his death just to assemble The Book of Disquiet into some kind of coherent form that could be published.
But that's why he astounds: even if the project is never completed, what we have already is for the ages. Fernando Pessoa was such a genius that even his imaginary friends were geniuses. There will never be another like him.
Mod
One of my favorites -- a book that needs to be reread.
I've been on a bit of a binge lately, now that I've moved to London and have over two hours of public transport a DAY. I've read There Bute For The (Ali Smith), A Visit From The Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan) and The Sense of an Ending (Julian Barnes) - as well as The Tale of Desperaux (Kate deCamillo) from the Children's list, and now I'm working on Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides) before moving to The Marriage Plot.
Mod
Aileen wrote: "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon4/5 for me."
I thought The Incident of the Dog was entertaining, and an enjoyable read, but it amazes me on how many 'best-of' and 'must-read' lists it shows up on. It was good, I liked it--I'd probably even read it again if I had a reason too, but it doesn't seem to meet to rise that level that really sets it apart.
Mod
4/5 for me."
I thought The Incident of the Dog was entertaining, and an enjoyable read, b..."
I loved it. It was very original to me at the time I read it. It resonated with me and will likely always have a spot in my top all time books. I also saw a live performance of the book while I was in London. It was also outstanding.
Mod
I agree 100% with you Sean. I still think telling a story from the perspective of an autistic child to be one of themost creative things I had read in a long time. It is one of my favorite books.
James wrote: "I agree 100% with you Sean. I still think telling a story from the perspective of an autistic child to be one of themost creative things I had read in a long time. It is one of my favorite books."
Thank you also to Bryan and Sean for your comments. This book has sat on my shelf for years and I had a reluctance to pick it up for some reason. However my fairly new neighbours have a 12 year old autistic daughter and I've learnt more about the condition from talking to her than I've ever encountered before. This book helped in seeing the world from her eyes, which has to be a good thing.
I also wouldn't put it up among the greats, but it was an entertaining, informative and fun read. It also ticked off another book from the 1001 Children's List too!
Mod
4/5 for me.
Thank you also to Bryan and Sean for your comments. This book has sat on my shelf for years and I had a reluctance to pick it up for some reason. However my fairly new neighbours have a 12 year old autistic daughter"
I can imagine that such a situation would really open your eyes to this book and vice versa. I love when a book can relate to the world for me.... and... vice versa! Thank you for sharing.
Sean wrote: "I finished Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I hadn't expected much from this book. But I was very surprised. Found itself near the top of my list of f..."There's one we can agree on fully. I read this earlier in the year, thought it was great
Mod
Finished The Jungle - the gore in it exceeds many horror novels but it is well- written otherwise if a bit preach in parts.
Casey wrote: "I've been on a bit of a binge lately, now that I've moved to London and have over two hours of public transport a DAY. I've read There Bute For The (Ali Smith), A Visit From The Goon Squad (Jennife..."Good reading time like me, though listening to audiobooks, with my 200 mile round two a day.
Mia wrote: "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré. It was ok, not really my kind of book."At least Tinker is the start of a series. Unlike many series, Carre’s fon’t Lend themselves to beginning in the middle of a series.
Mod
Rather depressing. Sometimes the shortest books (this one was only 128 pages) take the longest time to read. This one took me 2 months to read -- I just couldn't get into it. The sections are short, so I only read one or two every few days.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman by Andrzej Szczypiorski. I loved it, can't wait to read more of his works.
“The Heart of The Matter” - Graham Greene
Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
Books mentioned in this topic
The Sword in the Stone (other topics)Cider With Rosie (other topics)
After the Quake (other topics)
Auto-da-Fé (other topics)
Walden or, Life in the Woods (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
T.H. White (other topics)Laurie Lee (other topics)
Haruki Murakami (other topics)
Elias Canetti (other topics)
Henry David Thoreau (other topics)
More...
Well, not really. It is pleasant enough, but nothing special. I do appreciate that the series was progressive for its time. These books presented the first stream of consciousness narrative.